Draft-equalizer.



No. 831,020. PATENTED' SEPT. 11,'1906. W. H. TILLOU.

DRAFT EQUALIZER. APPLICATION FILED $119.6. 190s.

2 sums-sum 1.

aawemtoz;

MJ m nu NORRIS PETERS cm, wasumanm, a. c.

PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

W. H. TILLOU.- DRAFT BQ-UALIZER. APPLICATION-FILED AUG. 5.1905.

2 sums-sum z.

:ssm PETIRS CO-.'WASHINGTON- A: z.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. TILLOU, OF LE ROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE'D. MCOOLL, OF LE ROY, NEW YORK.

DRAFT-EQUALIZER.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed August 5,1905- Serial No. 272,836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. TILLOU, of Le Boy, in the county ofGenesee and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Draft-Equalizers; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification,and to the reference-numerals marked there- My present invention relatesto improvements in draft-equalizers and the purpose of my invention isto provide an equalizer or evener adapted for use in connection withwagons, cultivators, binders, and other vehicles or implements which aredrawn by a team of three or more horses, whereby the variations in thedraft of the several horses will be taken up, so as to impart a uniformpull to the vehicle without causing side draft, the parts being arrangedfor attachment directly to the ordinary centrallyarranged tongue, sothat the latter may be employed in the usual way for guiding andcontrolling the movement of the vehicle. To these and other ends theinvention consists in certain improvements and combinations andarrangements of parts, to be hereinafter more fully described, the novelfeatures being pointed out particularly in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a draft-equalizerconstructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being shown innormal position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing therelative positions assumed by the parts in compensating for the unequaldraft of the horses. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on the line 3 3of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section on the line 4 4of Fi 1.

The same numera s of reference in the sev eral views designate similarparts.

The present embodiment of my invention illustrates a three-horsedraft-equalizer adapted for application directly to the vehicletongue 1,the latter being of the usual form and attached, preferably, centrallyto the forward portion of the vehicle. On this tongue is mounted abearing-carrier 2, having at -its rear an offset lug 3 to receive apivot-bolt 4, secured to the tongue, and at the forward portion of thecarrier a transversely-arranged slot 5 is provided to receive the mainpivot or king-pin 6, the latter extending into the tongue and serving asa pivot for the main equalizin -lever 7. The bearing-carrier is providedwith a bearing 8,

which is elongated in a direction longitudinally of the tongue and isadapted to receive the slide 9, the latter having guides arranged toslide longitudinally on the bearing 8 and are held in operative positionthereon by the washer 10, which also serves as an abutment for the rearstop 11 and the forward stop 12 of the slide to limit the forward andrearward motion of the roof, the said washer being held in place by thebolt 13. The forward and rear stops 11 and 12, respectively, are offsetfrom the guides thereof in order that they may clear the bearing 8 topermit the requisite motion of the slide, but will engage the washer asan abutment.

The forward end of the slide is provided with a bracket 14, the latterhaving a pivot 15, arranged in line with the bearing 8 and adapted toreceive the doubletree 16, to the opposite ends of which are connectedthe swingletrees 17 and 18, respectively, and as the pivot of thedoubletree is centered over the tongue the horses connected to theswingletrees will be arranged at the same distance on either side of thetongue and the draft will be straight ahead.

Projecting from one side of the slide and extending forwardly as far asthe bracket 14 thereon is a rigid arm 19, connected by the pivot-pin 20to the short arm of the main equalizing-lever 7, the long arm of thelatter being about twice the length of the short arm thereof andprojecting upon the opposite side of the tongue, and at this end of thelever the swingletree 21 for the third horse is connected.

In operating a three-horse equalizer of this kind one horse can beharnessed up in the usual way upon either side of the vehicleton ue andwill draw on the doubletree, while the third horse will be arranged atone side and connected to the long arm of the main equalizing lever.Consequently the draft from the doubletree will be transmitted, throughthe pin 15, ,to the slide and from the latter to the lateral arm 19thereon, bringing a force operating in a forward direction to bear onthe short arm of the main equalizinglever 7, while, on the other hand,the draft from the third horse 0 crating on the long arm of lever 7 willten(f to balance the force acting thereon from the arm 19 of the slide.

' However, when the draft from the third horse, connected to the longarm of the lever, is above normal or the draft on the doubletrees isbelow normal the lever 7 will be rocked into the position shown in Fig.2, the short arm of lever 7 operating on the lateral arm 19 of the slideto move the latter rearward on its bearing, thus allowin the swingletreeto move ahead of the doub etree, and, conversely, when the single horse,connected to the long arm of the lever, lags behind, or the draft of thehorses attached to the doubletree is above normal, lever 7 will swing inthe opposite direction, drawing the slide for ward on the tongue andcausing the lateral arm 19 thereon to act upon the lever 7, thuspermitting the doubletree to advance relatively to the swingletree atthe long arm of the lever, and in this way a substantially uniform draftis exerted upon the vehicle notwithstanding variations in the draft ofthe respective horses.

By mounting the bearing 8 on a carrier which is pivoted to swing in ahorizontal plane and in a direction transversely of the vehicle-tonguethe necessity of employing slotted bearings in the main equalizing-leverfor the pins 6 and 20 is avoided, and in this way excessive wear whichwould occur on the main lever and the weakness of slotting the parts isavoided and instead the arc in which the pin 20 swings will becompensated for by the swinging motion of the bearing and its carrier ina horizontal plane across the tongue. It is also preferable to offsetthe stops 11 and 12 of the slide relatively to the bearing 8, for thisenables the requisite degree of motion of the slide, while the slide maybe comparatively short, as the stops thereon would not engage thebearing, but would cooperate with the washer 10 as an abutment.

A draft-equalizer embodying my invention may be readily ap lied to theusual tongue of the varous kind; of implements and vehicles, for by theuse of the improved con struction, the parts are short and occupy ashort length of the tongue, so that the horses may be hitched closely tothe implement or vehicle, and while I have shown and described theinvention as applied to a threehorse equalizer it will of course beunderstood that I do not limit the invention in this respect, for by anobvious arrangement and adjustment'of the parts the evener willaccommodate any reasonable number of horses.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with atongue, of a lever pivotally connected to the tongue, a slide arrangedto operate longitudinally of the tongue and having a laterally-arrangedarm rigid on and movable with said slide and having its laterally-offsetportion connected to one end of the lever,

and draft appliances attached to the slide and the free end of thelever.

2. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a tongue, of a mainequalizing-lever pivoted at a given point on the tongue, a slide mountedto operate longitudinally of the tongue, an arm rigidly secured to theslide having a portion extending laterally of the tongue and pivotallyconnected to the main lever at one side of its pivot, and draftappliances attached to the slide and lever.

3. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a tongue, of abearing-carrier pivoted thereon to swing in a direction transverselyacross the tongue and carrying a bearing, an equalizing-lever, a slidemounted to operate on the bearing in a direction longitudinally of thetongue and having a rigid arm extending laterally of the tongue andpivotally connected to the lever, and draft devices for the slide andlever.

4. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a tongue or support, of anequalizinglever pivoted on the tongue, a bearing-carrier pivoted toswing transversely of the tongue and having a bearing thereon, and aforward extension having a transverselyarranged slot to receive a pinwhich serves as a pivot for the lever, a slide mounted to operate on thebearing of the carrier in a direction longitudinally of the tongue andhaving a portion connected to the equalizing-lever at one side of itspivot, and draft devices carried by the slide and equalizinglever.

5. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a tongue or support, of anequalizinglever pivoted thereon, a bearing on the tongue, a slidemounted to operate on the bearing in a direction longitudinally of thetongue, said slide having stops at its forward and rear portions bothoffset from the bearing so as to clear it during the operation of theslide, an abutment arranged intermediately of the bearing to cooperatewith the stops of the slide, an arm connecting the slide andequalizing-lever, and draft devices for the slide and lever.

6. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a tongue or support, of abearing-carrier pivoted at its rear to swing transversely across thetongue and carrying a bearing, a slide mounted to operate on the bearingin a direction longitudinally of the tongue, an equalizing-lever pivotedto turn about a given point on the tongue, an arm rigid on the slide andhaving a pivotal connection with the lever at one side of its pivot, anddraft devices for the slide and lever.

WILLIAM H. TILLOU.

Witnesses:

E. LEO FAY, Sco'rT W. SKINNER.

